The War Propaganda Collection contains framed propaganda material from certain wars in
which the United States was a part. The material was collected and framed over a number
of years by W. G. "Bill" Harrison of Fresno, California, who took a particular interest
in such items.

Scope and Content

The War Propaganda Collection measures 6.75 linear feet and dates from 1861 to 1991. The
collection is arranged in five series: Civil War, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam,
Desert Storm and although a majority of the material is from World War II. The material
is framed and includes captions explaining the origin and purpose of the artifact, with
some exceptions.

The
Civil War series (1861-1865) contains two items, a .69
caliber musket ball and a four segment display of a minie ball. According to the caption
encased with the .69 caliber musket ball, it was used in the Wilderness Campaign in May
of 1864.

The minie ball caused severe damage when it hit its target. Most men died as a result of
the injuries the minie ball inflicted. It was reported to make a "hole the size of man's
thumb, but the exit wound was the size of a man's fist," (Box 1, Civil War, four segment
display of minie ball caption).

The
World War II series (1939-1945) contains food ration
tokens that were used in the United States. The tokens were color coded according to the
material that could be bought with them. Red tokens were used to purchase meat while blue
tokens were for all processed foods. Materials such as clothing, shoes, gas and tires
were also rationed.

Prisoners of War (POW) items from the
Korean War series
(1950-1953) state that the Chinese People's Forces battle is not with American Soldiers
but rather with MacArthur, who on the flyer, is referred to as a common enemy.

The
Vietnam psychological warfare leaflets contain propaganda
from the Allied forces as well as anti-American leaflets distributed by the Viet Kong.
The series (1961-1975) offers insight into the strategies used by the opposing forces.

The
Desert Storm series (1991) contains eight framed
psychological warfare leaflets distributed by the United Nations. The material tries to
discredit Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's war strategies and motives. One leaflet reads,
"If Saddam puts civilians on military sites to die, it shows he is ready to sacrifice all
of you, the holy place, and the history of Iraq for his own survival," (Box 7,
Psychological warfare leaflets, Desert Storm campaign).